Electric lamp socket casing



Aug. 4, 1931. '.1. WEBER y ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET CASING Filed July so. 192,9

Patentiecl Aug. 4, 1931 f Jennv WEBER, or scHENEC'rAnY,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR '10v WEBER ELECTRIC CGIEq ,vrANnroEs'cHENEcranx NEwYoRK, A CORPORATION 0E NEW Yon-K i v ELECTRIC LAMP mgf'nppuaiion niet 'July so,r

- .Thisinvention. :relates` toy v'newand useful `improvements in electric'lamp socket casings,which.consist broadly of a cap usually Y .adapted toibe ,connected with an electrical 'liconductor` conduit, and "a'shell' 'detachably connected with the cap and adapted to house alamp sockety with itswellknown adjuncts, such as aninsulating)4 block carrying they V N usual contacts', terminals,V switchandswitch key or other operating device,y which latter is'adapted toproject through the usual slot in thefside `ot the shell; *1 f' v The primary object 'of this invention is v toy provide improved means. for detachably connecting-@the shell and cap in any of ytheir' rotativerelative positions whereby the vshell canbej properly turned about its axis to vdispose its key slot at any point about the` pef Ariphervfoithe cap tolreceive the operating keywithoutthe"necessityy of making rother adjustment-sheretofore found necessary to secure fa 'proper alignment lwith' the socket key. This is `of special' advantage in `cases where/the key lof :the 'socket must kextend through a slotin anornamental husk r or' other support., i y

An equallyimportant y:object of the invention is lto constructjthe interengaging fastener-means of the cap "and shell with inclinedfinundercut edgesv'soas to absolutely prevent accidental separation` of the cap and shell when assembled. 'f

Other objects 'and advantages of lthe in-v Vent011'-i7illbecome apparent during the s cou-rsefofqthefollowing description. y

; yInth 'accompanying' drawings formingv a partgoff the application, and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like.

parts,throughout the several views,

vvvFigure l'g'is perspective view of; the socket ,casing withfthe `cap and shell disconnec'tedf ll' Figure2. is a longitudinal section through the assembled cap `and .n shell.

FigureB isanenlarged transverse section v throug the same taken on theline 3.-301 FUTBQ. f f A 'f Figure' ais 4an Aj'enlarge'd longitudinal frag* mentary` section of ther fastening means, and

f `Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary View SOCKET CAsING 1929. serial No. 382,259.

showing an elevation of the interlocking means of the shell. Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 6 designates the cap'v of the socket casing having the Well known form of'attaching nipple 7, by which the socket and casing are supported fromv an electrical conductor conduit or other sup.. port. This cap is provided with an annular depending flange or skirt 8 which is'pro.

vided with a series of symmetrically `arranged narrow vertical slotsv 9 arranged equidistant from each other around the entire circumference of the flange. These slots are spaced from' one another a distance equal to the distance between cooperating interlocking means on a cylindrical, resilil ent, flexible socket shell 10, as will now be more fully described.

One'end of this shell l0 is enlarged' as at l1 to telescopically fit within the depending flange 8 of the cap in the well known manner. The inner or upper edge '12 of the shell is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis thereof, or in other words is square to the axis of the shell. Extending from this edge and into| the enlarged por'- tion l1 of the' shell is 4the usual socket key slot 13, through which the key or yother actuating device of the socket extends when the casing is associated therewith.

' The intermediate portion of the shell 10 is .provided with a 4shoulder 14 and at a'v point adjacent its outer end with a bead` f l5 below which the outer end ofthe shell is provided with a pressed thread 16.

To cooperate with the slots 9 of the cap for detachably connecting the shell and cap, two pairsof wings or catches 17 are provided on the exterior of the shell adjacent the edge l2 at diametrically opposite points. These Wings 17 extend outwardly and radially of the shell and each pair of wings are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the distance between each two slots 9 of the cap.` This coupled With ythe fact that the other pair of wings are arranged at a dia, metricallyopposite point, andthe act that the spacing of the slots 9 circumferentially of the cap'l is uniform, it is obvious that the kwings 17 of both pairs will be positioned i I to register with the pairs of slots 9 in pracplished Y wings 17 upwardly and linwardly;of theY i with respect to tically Yevery rotative position of the shell the cap.

A very important feature of the present invention Yis to prevent the wings-from acci-v dentally pulling out of the slots 9 of the cap when the shell and cap are stressed or pulled apart longitudinally, such aswhen there* is an 'excessively heavy weight` suspended or supported from the shell portion of the casing. This is effectively accomby inclining the lower edges if the shell, so that they arein effect undercut to hook'over the'lower edges offthe slots 9 in'` the cap and-effectively prevent any accidental longitudinal separation or parting ofthe cap and shell when assembled and in user;

This Aobjectl is accomplished inlthe present illustration of the invention bypunching out the wings 17 from the shell tozforin integral parts thereof. The formation'of each wing' .is accomplished f by cutting .the shell below the upper edge 12 thereofnaleng a slightly curved ,line 18 substantially longitudinally of the shell down to a point determining the length of. a wing 17. Ait thispoint, thecut is extended as at 19 at an acuteangle to the cut 18 to incline-it at an angle tothe upper edge 12 of the shell.

This defines the configuration of each wing 17, which `is then pressed or bent V4outwardly of the shell along lines paralleling the axis thereof until they extend substantially radially as shown. The two side faces .of each wingv are parallel and, of. course,y extend radiallyfrom the shelland are also parallel tothe twogside walls of the slots"9 to: abutV `therewith and-limit relative rotary movement of the shell and capin both directions.

lThe cut 18 provides each wing witliacurvedA upper surface which acts as a cani and presses thatportionof the flange 8 immediately adjacent theVv wing outwardly, and that portion of the yshell adjacent thewing-in# wardly when theend of the shell is slipped intotheflange 8 of the cap..The'inelined` l,cut 19 provides each wing withan upwardly and inwardly inclined lower edge:.ZOeaszbest` seen inFigure 4, and forms each wing into a bill shape sc that its lower edge will hook over the lower edge of the registeringslot 9V of the cap when the shell andy cap are pushed `together lfor interlocking engagement:-` Due -to thev fact that theupper cam`V surface'of-each wing merges into ormeetsr the incllnedlower edge 2O at anacute angle,

each wing is of pointed or bill-shaped kconfiguration. Consequently, the weight i of any ornaments or the'like suspended by the shell will not cause the jlatter lto become' accidentally disengaged from the'cap.

' It will be noted that one pair of the wings 17 Von .the shell are provided adjacent one edge lof the key slot 18 where'the shell can be .Ymost easily flexed inwardly to cause these `wings to move inwardly and disengage from' their coacting pair of slots 9. Of course,

the shell adjacent the` pair of' wings at the point diametrically opposite the wings near thev key slot 13l may be flexed inwardly to lcause this pair of wings to disengage from its slots. When the shell is flexed inwardly i* adjacent' either pair of interlocking wings, 'causing inward movement of the latter, their lower inclined edges rideV upon the lower edges of the Yslcjts 9 and tend to draw the shell at this point slightly upwardly, it being noted that room for this slight longitudinal inward movement of the shell/.relative -to the cap is permissible by'reason of the fact that the inner edge 12 of the shell isspaced slightly from the shoulder 21 Y `where the flange 8 joins withV the cap 6.

After having pressed one portion of the shellv inwardly-to cause one V-pair of. wings to disengage `from the slots, the other pairof wings are disengaged from their slotsby slightly tilting the shell on its axis.`l y` v fWhen the shell and cap are pushed to! gether to -assemble them,they are flexedl so that the flange 8 ofthe cap is cammed .over both 'pairsV of v`wings simultaneously, and registration vof the slots 9.ofjthese wings permits Vthe flange 8Y`to'snap`over the wings intog'close engagement with the periphery ofthe shell.v j Y j 'It-will be noted that the slots 9 are very narrow, 'and Aare practicallyf nothing more thanvertical SlitsPLikeWiSe, the wings 17 lare veryv thin, being equal to the thickness ofthe material of the shell, :and the `width of the Vslots 9 being substantially equal to the thickness Hof the wings, prevents any exces.

sive relative rotative movement betweenthe capand shell when connected.

It is to be understood that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the scope Vofthe appended claims.

y IYclaim: f

1. The combination witha twoY part'lamp socket easing consisting ofa flexible shell and a cap, said kcap havingV a depending annular flange provided withl'a seriesrof vnarrow vertical slotsl arranged symmetrically `around the cirr'zumferencek 'of said flange,an d said shell having pairs of wings struck outk from the body y.of the same at diametrically opposite points and bent outwardly along. lines paralleling the axis of the shell, both of said wingshaving fiat parallel side facesextending radially from the shell body and being formed Vwithouter edges having identically the same outline, whereby to support the cap with the` sides of said slots parallel with the side.y faces of said wings asv the cap is lbeing mountedk upon said body to assure accurate registration of said wings with said slots.

2. A socket shell having an open top and having formed in its wall adjacent said top a plurality of openings, the' portions of the shell removed from the openings being right i, angularly bent outwardly to form substanring radially from the shell tially radially projecting wings, each of said wings having ilat parallel side faces extending radially from the shell body and being formed with two free edges, one of said edges extending on a continuous arc from the shell bodyf outwardly and downwardly toe the other edge, said other edge forming the wing bottom, said wing bottom meeting said arcuate edge at a sharp corner and extending inwardly from said corner to the shell body at an acute inclination to said body in the direction of its open top, and a cap for said shell having engaging means for said wings.

3. A socket shell having an open top and having formed in its wall adjacent said top a plurality of openings, the portions of the shell removed from the openings being right angularly bent outwardly to yforni substantially radially projecting wings, each of said wings having flat parallel side faces ,extend` body and being formed with two free edges, one of said edges f extending on a continuous arc from the shell body out and down to the other edge, said other edge forming the wing bottom, said ywing bottom meeting said arcuate edge at a sharp corner, and extended inwardly from said corner' to the shellbody at an acute inclination to thebody in the direction of its open top, and av cap vfor said shell having a series of narrow slots arranged around the circumference thereof tol receive a pair of said wings in any relative rotary position of the shell with respect to said cap.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

f JOHN WEBER 

